Horiba Mira secures Euro NCAP accreditation for active safety testing

World-class facilities and engineering team to provide further support on the journey towards Vision Zero

Horiba Mira proving grounds in Warwickshire has extended its European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) accreditation to conduct official active safety system testing on passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The facility is globally recognised as a leader in vehicle safety engineering, with a long-standing association with Euro NCAP. It has been accredited for passive safety testing since 2012 and is currently supporting the development of the organisation’s new heavy truck rating scheme testing protocols.

“We’re delighted to extend our co-operation with Euro NCAP and proud to be increasing our contribution to the ongoing improvement of vehicle safety standards,” Graeme Stewart, Horiba Mira’s chief technical officer, said.

“We have been conducting active safety pre-tests for many years and our team is hugely motivated and passionate about helping to shape the future of safety on European roads and beyond, and being part of the collective effort that is driving towards achieving Vision Zero.”

Central to the delivery of Euro NCAP active safety system testing at Horiba Mira’s test laboratory will be its Assured CAV facility – recognised as Europe’s most comprehensive ecosystem for supporting end-to-end CAV development. This multimodal, award-winning resource features various physical and virtual testing environments where real-world automotive scenarios can be replicated to deliver the controlled and repeatable tests that Horiba MIRA’s highly-skilled engineers conduct to evaluate the latest assisted, automated and connected driving systems.

The configurable environments that will be used for Euro NCAP active safety tests include an expansive highway, a city environment, and road junctions.

(Photo: Horiba Mira)

“We have made a significant investment in world-class test track facilities, state-of-the-art equipment and robust processes at our test laboratory in Nuneaton and we’ll be announcing more exciting developments in this space soon. We’re pleased our facilities will be used to support the mission to create a safer future for mobility,” Stewart added.

“But what we’ll provide is about more than a physical testing environment. Euro NCAP exists to create safer roads for everyone. We believe that to achieve this objective and deliver the best results, you must have a people-centric approach. We’ve therefore worked hard to assemble a group that contains some of the best engineering talent in the automotive industry.

“I know their passion for vehicle safety will shine through as they deliver outstanding service as a Euro NCAP-accredited laboratory.”

Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general at Euro NCAP, welcomed Horiba Mira’s increased contribution to the European New Car Assessment Programme. He said: “I am delighted to welcome Horiba Mira to Euro NCAP’s trusted network of safety assessment laboratories across Europe. The organisation is already supporting Green NCAP in assessing vehicles for their sustainability. We are impressed by Horiba MIRA’s commitment to support Euro NCAP’s safety programme including cars, vans, and heavy goods vehicles, but also by its wish to join us in our quest to provide safer vehicles and roads for European citizens and meet Vision Zero targets.  This is great news for us, but also for consumers in the UK.”